Yours. Mine and Ours

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

How about having the daughter begin to take English classes over there now, while they wait?

Pasha started with a native speaking private English tutor in January, 2008. Two months before we filed the petition and 9 months before he arrived here. Her daughter has had English in school but it is not enough and it is not being taught by native speakers.

We found the best bargain in "semi private" classes (4 students) 6 hours per week for $100 per month at a private English school in Donetsk

Edited February 21, 2013 by Gary and Alla

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

And I will add, regarding home schooling...Alla is an English teacher, certified in Ukraine and a Russian teacher. That was the career the Soviet government chose her for and trained her for and she taught English and Russian in Junior High school (the level we would call "junior High School" anyway) She also earned an MA-TESOL (masters, Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages)from St Micheal's College in Vermont

She did NOT teach Pasha English. Why? For one she does not think she could provide objective instruction and the other factor is that she wanted the boys trained by native speakers. Sergey was and has very little accent, Pasha has almost NO accent.

Alla believes she could not apply the proper discipline to teach her own children, she also feels that social interaction is a very important part of education. Her desire was to have Pasha start school immediately on arrival in a regular public school. We let him rest ONE day and then it was off to school! In fact the day after he arrived, we went to the school, met his counselors, teachers and ESL teacher in the afternoon. All of these educational professionals believed it best to get him right in there immediately. I cannot argue with the results and can promise you it was not EASY for him or for me. I would not change a thing.

I will also say that although I drove a car for nearly 40 years it took me about 2 lessons to figure out I was a DRIVER, not a driver INSTRUCTOR. Our marriage survived.

Edited February 21, 2013 by Gary and Alla

[baron555 934]

So there you go Batman (who ever you really are).....we feel that the daughter's continued education should be your first priority (way before painting her bedroom her favorite color).

Do your own research and be ready to 'confront' you future wife to the plans that you have determined are best for her future interests.

She's 16 years old, not a 6 year old and not a 6 month year old. She is almost a legal adult and NEEDS to get with the program here ASAP.

Homeschooling and "limiting" her may be a motherly trait but that is not in her best (future) interest.

Take charge and find out what is available and be ready to make decisions. I hope that you are up to that task. (Nothing Personal meant)

Edited February 21, 2013 by baron555

[BatmanUSA 105]

I agree that she should get involved in the local school right away...!!!

thanks for the advice, support and encouragement.!!

chris..

[Nick_Moscow 2]

I will also say that although I drove a car for nearly 40 years it took me about 2 lessons to figure out I was a DRIVER, not a driver INSTRUCTOR. Our marriage survived.

My wife could not stand my instructor skills, either! I think I stayed pretty calm but when she wanted to practice real parallel parking (instead of with cones) and she didn't watch her cutback and dinged the front passenger-side panel, I'll admit, I showed my frustration Thankfully the car parked in front of us was a much higher truck so no damage was done, but permanent damage was done to my role as driving instructor

My wife got her learner's permit but after failing the first driving test never tried again. I'll admit the Mercury Sable I drive is much tougher to handle than the Honda Civic I took my test in at 16 but I really want her to get her license and now she's opening up to it too.

How do you all suggest she prepare this time around? Three years ago she took the mandatory class which included a few hours of driving time but that was predictably useless since the instructor mainly did highway driving time while running his errands. What about buying more one-on-one instructor-driving time or having a friend teach in place of husband? Did your wife pass the test in your car, or if you have a big ol' American gas guzzler (/sarc) did you rent a smaller car for the exam?

Thanks for any input. The public transportation system in FSU is great but its efficencies and conveniences can result in women in their late 20s who still cannot drive!

[N-o-l-a 7,167]

How do you all suggest she prepare this time around? Three years ago she took the mandatory class which included a few hours of driving time but that was predictably useless since the instructor mainly did highway driving time while running his errands. What about buying more one-on-one instructor-driving time or having a friend teach in place of husband? Did your wife pass the test in your car, or if you have a big ol' American gas guzzler (/sarc) did you rent a smaller car for the exam?

Thanks for any input. The public transportation system in FSU is great but its efficencies and conveniences can result in women in their late 20s who still cannot drive!

I don't think someone without a license is allowed to drive a rental car. The best idea is a proper driving instructor and then you will use their car for the test. The examiners I think tend to look more positively on someone who shows up in the driving school car.

[baron555 934]

:

How do you all suggest she prepare this time around?

We have a Malibu and a Cherokee. She did all her learning driving in the Malibu, with me the stressed out instructor (she's slower than molasses).

She took her test in the small car and passed no problem......we went to a facility in western Joliet where the clientele are mainly African and Hispanic (read between the lines for why I chose there instead of high class white suburbs).

She likes the big car and drives that almost exclusively.....offers her a much more commanding view of the road.

I don't think someone without a license is allowed to drive a rental car. The best idea is a proper driving instructor and then you will use their car for the test. The examiners I think tend to look more positively on someone who shows up in the driving school car.

No you can't. My wife went in and took the written test, and passed no problem and was given her learner's permit....good for a year. Then in about 7 monhts she went in and took the driving test and got her DL.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

I don't think someone without a license is allowed to drive a rental car. The best idea is a proper driving instructor and then you will use their car for the test. The examiners I think tend to look more positively on someone who shows up in the driving school car.

Depends on the state. In Vermont you cannot test in a driver's school car. Then again driving school is not mandatory here. Anyone over 18 can walk in and take the driver's license written and driving test. If they pass...VOILA! they get a driver's license.

[ONA 133]

How do you all suggest she prepare this time around? Three years ago she took the mandatory class which included a few hours of driving time but that was predictably useless since the instructor mainly did highway driving time while running his errands. What about buying more one-on-one instructor-driving time or having a friend teach in place of husband? Did your wife pass the test in your car, or if you have a big ol' American gas guzzler (/sarc) did you rent a smaller car for the exam?

In MD you can schedule a couple of classes with an instructor from any driving school. I could drive and had a Russian DL when I came here, but I still decided to take a couple classes with an instructor, just to find out what was expected from me during the test at MVA. we paid $50/hour.

Your wife can also take a test in a driving school's car. It cost $150 a year ago. However, we did not use this opportunity, since I started driving my Toyota Yaris around before I took the test (I was allowed to with my Russian DL)... so I took the test in my car. I still don't want to even try to drive my husband's truck.

[randye80 24]

Turns out I'm not much of a driving instructor either.

My wife had never driven before, so she was a bit tentative. She failed the driving portion of the test two times, then we found a driving school with an instructor that she got along well with. She took 4 or 5 lessons, until the instructor judged that she was likely to pass. In Califonia it is legal to take the exam in the driving school's vehicle. On the big day, the instructor picked her up and took her to the DMV. Passed this time.

A few years later she's hell on wheels.

[Tanya and Barry 59]

We have a Malibu and a Cherokee. She did all her learning driving in the Malibu, with me the stressed out instructor (she's slower than molasses).

She took her test in the small car and passed no problem......we went to a facility in western Joliet where the clientele are mainly African and Hispanic (read between the lines for why I chose there instead of high class white suburbs).

She likes the big car and drives that almost exclusively.....offers her a much more commanding view of the road.

No you can't. My wife went in and took the written test, and passed no problem and was given her learner's permit....good for a year. Then in about 7 monhts she went in and took the driving test and got her DL.

My wife took her test in IL, too. The middle aged male tester was a little smitten with Tanya. Her driving test took less than 10 minutes...including the fact that she forgot to put the car in reverse when she went to back out. It sounded like she was revving up for the Indy 500....

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

My wife took her test in IL, too. The middle aged male tester was a little smitten with Tanya. Her driving test took less than 10 minutes...including the fact that she forgot to put the car in reverse when she went to back out. It sounded like she was revving up for the Indy 500....

They count on the male examiners to be "smitten" by them. When Alla was learning to drive she hit a curb coming out of a parking lot in Burlington, in the dark on a cold winter night. Slashed the tire up pretty good. She waited in the car while I struggled to change the tire in the cold and snow. A police officer came up behind us and said he would stay there with his flashing lights on to "protect me" Alla got out of the car and said, "Do you think this policeman will take me home if I ask?" No, Alla, they don't do that, and we live 28 miles away in another city and county, he can't do that.

Ignoring me, she went up to the officers window, leaned in and "asked him nicely" as she says. She came back to me and said "The policeman is going to take me home, I will see you when you get there" So much for "protecting me" he drove off with my WIFE!!!!!!!!

[TBoneTX 43,410]

he drove off with my WIFE!!!!!!!!

Old but good, si man:

A policeman turned on his flashing lights behind a slight speeder. The vehicle sped up and led to a high-speed chase. When the car finally ran out of gas, the policeman exited his cruiser and said, in ill temper, "Why did you speed away from me like that, huh man?!"

The driver said, "My wife ran off with a police officer, see man, and I thought that it was you and you were trying to return her!"

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Old but good, si man:

A policeman turned on his flashing lights behind a slight speeder. The vehicle sped up and led to a high-speed chase. When the car finally ran out of gas, the policeman exited his cruiser and said, in ill temper, "Why did you speed away from me like that, huh man?!"

The driver said, "My wife ran off with a police officer, see man, and I thought that it was you and you were trying to return her!"

[Nick_Moscow 2]

Thanks to all for the driving test/instructor tips!! I'm glad to see I'm not alone when it comes to the anxiety I felt as I tried to teach my wife to drive the first time around. At our first lesson - and this is no joke - she told me that she always thought that the rear-view mirror was for drivers to look at their passengers!! ...The Russian taxi drivers apparently enjoyed checking her out more than checking rear traffic and blind spots.

I'm now mentally prepared to go through this again, thanks to all your support. I'll let you know when she passes this test!